Tom’s Blog

Why should those with large traditional IRAs convert to Roth?

The pain of traditional IRAs is IRMAA. It’s important to work to beat IRMAA – not pay it. The top 10% of retirees have large RMDs that cross an income level that triggers IRMAA. The typical retiree paying IRMAA crosses two tripwires and pays

How big was the uptick in inflation for August?

The most commonly reported measure for inflation for August was roughly double that of July and was the in the top three of the last 12 months. Inflation does not aim at the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% annual rate. It will be a tough

How do you manage your 2025 tax return to avoid crossing an IRMAA tripwire?

If you’ve saved and invested well, you are in the top ranks of retirees in the size of your traditional IRA. That’s great, but once you start on Medicare, you have the frustration of worrying about IRMAA – higher Medicare premiums that you’d like to

Have you completed a draft of your 2025 tax return?

This post has a spreadsheet that you can download for your 2025 federal tax return. This is the one for a single filer over age 65. This is the one for married, joint filers, both over age 65. You first enter the gross

Are portfolio returns on track for a real increase in your Safe Spending Amount for next year?

You are (roughly) on track to calculate to a real increase in your Safe Spending Amount (SSA, see Chapter 2, Nest Egg Care [NEC]) for your spending in 2026. I assume your portfolio is similar to ours and that you use November 30

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